Somewhere Out There
by Manda4
Summary: Unfinished. Meet Lily and her Marauders at the end of their seventh year. This is their story until the night the Dark Lord changes their lives.


Disclaimer: The characters and setting of this story all belong to JK Rowling. She's the mastermind behind these people.  
  
A/N - This chapter is only a placeholder. At the moment, I'm still at the outlining point of work and really, this was just something quick.a solid half-hours work. Anyhow, hope you like it anyway. Short, but to the point.  
  
Prologue - Setting The Scene  
  
Lily Evans and James Potter walked hand and hand down the spiral staircase of the prefect's common room, towards the Great Hall. Lily smiled up at James, her dazzling green eyes lighting up at his smile. Rain pelted down outside the castle and lightning flickered across the ink black sky as they slowly filed out of what was formerly the Transfiguration classroom. The Hogwarts staff had really out done themselves this time, and Lily could've sworn she'd seen their snotty Potions Mistress getting into the Christmas cheer by putting up decorations. Professor Dumbledore had bewitched the ceilings throughout the entire castle to snow multicoloured snowflakes, which would glitter and sparkle, lighting up the darkest of rooms.  
  
Unfortunately, Lily and James had found themselves at the end of their time at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Looking around at the pictures and corridors that had become so familiar to her, Lily mused on the fact that, only seven years before, this castle had seemed like an ever changing maze. She'd spent seven years adapting to the moving staircases and disappearing doors that it was hard to believe she was leaving. Hogwarts had become, not only a school to her, it had become home.  
  
They stalked past empty classrooms and corridors in silence, leaving each other to only the rain, and their thoughts. In spite of how she felt, Lily forced herself not to cry, although she'd wanted to since James had sat her down and asked her to marry him. It'd been like all her dreams had come true, she looked at James and saw not only the handsome face she was looking at, but the eleven year old boy she had met on the Hogwarts Express on her first day. She remembered it like it was yesterday, she remembered looking at this boy and thinking, I guess wizards don't know what hair brushes are (in reference to his messy mop of jet, black hair). Sitting in front of her was James, the boy who made it onto the house Quidditch team before any other first year. James, the boy who she fought with day after day, yet eventually learned to love. James, the boy who's eyes held all the secret, mysterious beauty of the universe. Perhaps he knew what she was feeling and that's why he wasn't saying anything? Rounding the corner of the main foyer, Lily waved and called out in a singsong voice, "Sirius! Remus!"  
  
---  
  
Sirius Black and Remus Lupin stood at the doors of the Great Hall, Sirius tapping his foot on the ground and looking at his watch, Remus casting nervous looks out at the half moon which was high in the sky. "Where are they?" Sirius growled, with some note of amusement in his voice. He began pacing slowly; it wasn't like James to be late, then again, who was he to be lecturing James about being late? Sirius was extremely well known for showing up late the class, that is, when he bothered to show up at all. His pace quickened, he ran his hands through his hair and turned to Remus, "Where are they?" he exploded.  
  
Remus smiled at him, the flash of lightning in the sky casting an eerie glow over his young face. "Calm down, Padfoot. It's their last night here and you know how long it'll be before those two get to see each other again. Give them some time." Sirius sighed, instinctively he knew Remus was right, but still couldn't help feeling that he deserved just as much time with James as Lily did. Unlike his other friends, Sirius didn't have the supportive family he wanted and it was because of that, he felt the need to hold on to the friends he had.  
  
"Sirius! Remus!" he heard Lily's voice echoing towards him from further along the corridor and looked up. James beamed at him, his bright eyes flashed behind his round spectacles, and he looked like he'd just won the Quidditch world cup all on his own. Beside him, Lily was ecstatic; she released James' hand and ran quickly towards him. "He did it! He proposed!" she whispered into his chest, her arms tight around his waist. And, just as Lily thought would happen, tears welled up and streamed from her eyes as she was smothered by Remus who was muttering that it was about time.  
  
She stepped back and looked at her friends. Sandy blonde, blue-eyed Remus stared back at her. He was a boy with such a dark secret, but a heart of gold. For someone who had lived their life fearing their own ability, their own identity, Lily was proud to be able to say that she had been a part of his development of self-confidence. And, she thought, it certainly seems helping James train for Quidditch has done wonders for his body frame. This was true, Remus Lupin had once been a scrawny boy with close to no muscles and pipe-cleaner arms and whether it was due to strenuous physical exertion or devine intervention, nobody knew how he'd become so handsome.  
  
Beside Remus, looking at Lily through dark eyes was Sirius. His dark hair and pale skin often had Lily wondering whether Sirius descended from vampires, but she never bothered to ask. If Hogwarts students obeyed by any rules, it was the 'Never piss off Sirius Black' rule (devised by Sirius himself, of course). While other students were known for high academic or sporting achievements, Sirius was known for 'Time His Fall', which often involved timing how long it took Severus Snape to fall unconscious from one beating, and then trying to beat the record the next time. From his second year, Sirius could bring fear into the hearts of the largest seventh year students and yet, Lily could only identify Sirius as being 'protective' and 'loving'. It didn't matter, Sirius was the brother she'd always wanted and no one could convince her to think otherwise of him.  
  
Finally, her eyes fell on James. James couldn't be described as anything short of perfect. Someone who she once despised the mere sight of had become the love of her life. Although, she had to admit, she never hated James...just disliked him. But how could anyone possibly like someone who kept transfiguring your inkpot into a spider, which would spit webbing whenever poked with a quill? There was something about James that set him apart from his other friends, something Lily couldn't ever put her finger on. James was her life, and now, he was also her future. She smiled, tears still streaming down her cheeks, and she grasped James' hand. Her life source was standing in front of her now; he was all she needed in the world to be happy.  
  
A voice brought her back to reality, "Hold on," James broke off, "where's Peter?"  
  
---  
  
"I am but your humble servant, my Lord," whispered Peter Pettigrew, bowing low and kissing the tall wizards robes. "And what can you, a mere boy, offer me?" snarled Lord Voldemort, casting a triumphant glare to the trembling boy. Peter shuffled back and knelt in front of Voldemort with his head still bowed. It wasn't that he didn't want to look into Voldemort's eyes, legend had it that his eyes could burn through the depths of ones soul and suck the life out of them, making them hollow, lifeless, merciless creatures - Dementors.  
  
"I--" he stammered, "I--can be your spy, My Lord. Tonight I graduate from Hogwarts, where I have made close bonds with the Potter boy and his friends...I can offer them to you." Peter closed his eyes, shaking with anxiety. "You sell away your friends to the Dark Lord?" Voldemort hissed, "No loyalty I see...how am I to know that you won't betray me, Peter?" A cold, icy finger slid under his chin and forced his face to jerk up. What does he want me to say to that? Peter thought, wildly.  
  
Keeping his eyes clamped shut, Peter Pettigrew wondered, for the first time that night, whether he was making a mistake by giving his life to serving the Dark Lord. What would James think if he knew that right then and there, someone he considered his friend was selling him out to the most feared wizard of all time? Sweat beads were forming on his forehead and he could hear James' voice inside his head, "I trust you," he spat. "I was your friend, and no matter how much Sirius wanted to pound your head in, I convinced him that it was a mistake...that you might be different. You're a liar and a traitor, Wormtail."  
  
Peter almost felt like he was going to cry, every inch of his body trembled as a tidal wave of guilt washed over him. Slowly though, he knew that guilt would melt away, James was the fool, not him. It was James was wanted to befriend him, it was James who always got the spotlight. Not this time. It's my turn to shine, Peter told himself, the Dark Lord can give me powers beyond my wildest dreams and James, James can give me nothing. Peter bit down hard on his lip, tasting the copper taste of blood rush into his mouth. "I swear on my life, my Lord. I pledge my undying allegiance to you, and only you." 


End file.
